Post navigation

Ten of my favourite Mukesh songs

Of all the male singers who ruled the 50’s and 60’s, the one I’ve usually tended to ignore is Mukesh—and for what I must admit is a somewhat prejudiced reason: the most recognisable Mukesh songs, at least for me, are the ones he sang for Raj Kapoor, and nearly all of them just don’t appeal to me. Is it the fact that they’re picturised on RK (whom I, being the iconoclast I am, don’t much like)? Who knows?

But for Mukesh’s birth anniversary (he was born on July 23, 1923), I decided to explore Mukesh’s songs in greater detail—and realised that a lot of songs I really, really like are in his voice.

So here they are: my ten favourite Mukesh songs, all from the 50’s and 60’s, from films that I’ve seen. Beginning with my favourite.

1. Woh subah kabhi toh aayegi (Phir Subah Hogi, 1958; with Asha Bhonsle): Having started off by saying that I don’t like most of what Mukesh sang for Raj Kapoor, I’ll name this song as one of the exceptions. It’s hard to describe the power of this song: Sahir Ludhianvi’s lyrics are a bitter comment on the misery of the present, but also a hopeful dream for the future; Khayyam’s music is beautiful, almost caressingly gentle—and Mukesh’s voice, low, languid yet superbly controlled, never fails to give me gooseflesh. One of the most moving songs ever, as far as I’m concerned.

2. Saaranga teri yaad mein (Saranga, 1960): I first heard this song when I was about 10 years old. A colleague of my father’s sang it at a party, and to this day, I can recall how beautifully he sang. No wonder, hearing the original is such an experience for me. Mukesh’s voice, filled with anguish and heartbreak, is perfectly suited to Sardar Malik’s music in this song that speaks of a beloved who’s gone far, far away.

3. Zindagi khwaab hai(Jaagte Raho, 1956): Undoubtedly one of the best ‘under the influence of alcohol’ songs in Hindi cinema. Mukesh doesn’t hiccup or slur his words, but the deceptively light-hearted lilt of his voice, combined with what is actually deep philosophy—life is a dream, and everything in a dream is real—is a very potent mix.
Interestingly, Mukesh here sings for the man who introduced him to the world of Hindi cinema. Motilal was a distant relative of Mukesh, and having heard Mukesh sing at a wedding in Delhi, persuaded him to accompany Motilal to Bombay. The rest, as they say, is history.

4. Kahin door jab din dhal jaaye (Anand, 1971): I know I said this list would be from the 50’s and 60’s, but I tend to think of Anand as a late 60’s film made in 1971. The quiet charm of the story, the fact that Amitabh Bachchan is still not the angry young man, and that Rajesh Khanna is at his peak: so 60’s. And Mukesh, singing Maine tere liye hi saat rang ke sapne, or even better, this wonderfully philosophical song. Kahin door jab din dhal jaaye is for me a fine example of a song that manages to be very touching without descending into a dirge. Salil Choudhary’s music is divine, the lyrics (by Yogesh) are poignant, and Mukesh’s rendition is perfect.

5. Oh re taal mile nadi ke jal mein (Anokhi Raat, 1968): Unlike most of my other favourite Mukesh songs, this one isn’t sorrowful and/or depressing. Instead, it’s a lyrical bit of philosophy that goes from a seemingly superficial comment on the inevitability of confluence in nature—the meeting of pond and river, river and sea—and builds it into the sweetness of a love story come true. Mukesh’s earthy voice is perfect for this, the romance of a naive villager and the girl he’s married: very gentle and touching.

6. Zinda hoon is tarah (Aag, 1948): Yes, another Mukesh-sings-for-Raj Kapoor song. And though I said I don’t usually care for the combination, this one has a mesmerising beauty to it that I can’t help but admire (is it the fact that RK looks a lot like kid brother Shammi?!). A tragic film, and the song, brimming over with despair and loneliness, is equally tragic—but Mukesh imparts to it a depth of feeling that makes Zinda hoon is tarah unforgettable.

7. Suhaana safar aur yeh mausam haseen (Madhumati, 1958): Salil Choudhary created one of Hindi cinema’s greatest scores with Madhumati. This song, the first in the film, is almost a hymn in praise of the natural beauty of the countryside—as seen through the eyes of a newly-arrived traveller. Mukesh’s voice exudes joy and a sort of fascinated delight, a celebration of the beauty all around. And the ‘echo’ effect is fabulous!

8. Yeh mera deewaanapan hai (Yahudi, 1958): Once again, Mukesh singing for Dilip Kumar. This one is much more complex than Suhaana safar aur yeh mausam haseen, because there are so many nuances to this song: the deep love of a man for his beloved; his pride in his love, which almost borders on hubris—and the slowly emerging despair as he realises that his beloved may not come to meet him. Superbly sung, and the start of the song is a fine showcase of the perfect control Mukesh had over his voice. Not a single musical instrument there, but Mukesh’s voice is music in itself.

9. Yeh kaun chitrakaar hai (Boond jo ban gayi moti, 1967): Yeh kaun chitrakaar hai reminds me of Suhaana safar aur yeh mausam haseen: both songs are in praise of nature. But Yehkaun chitrakaar hai is a less exuberant, more ‘hushed with reverence’ song: you can almost hear the awe and wonder in Mukesh’s voice as he sings the title words: Who is this artist, to have created such beauty?

10. Jaaoon kahaan bata ae dil (Chhoti Bahen, 1959): This is the sort of song I usually tended to associate (I admit now, wrongly) with Mukesh’s voice: despairing, desperate and angst-ridden. Just one line: “Chaandni aayi ghar jalaane” (“the moonlight shines to burn my house”) is sufficient to explain the gist of Jaaoon kahaan bata ae dil. And yet, the mellifluous way Mukesh sings this rather depressing song makes it worthwhile to listen to. Heartbreaking but beautiful.

I’m very happy to see Mukesh songs being discussed, although I confess I too avoided his songs because of Raj Kapoor.
Lately Raj Kapoor has become tolerable, and Mukesh’s songs have taken on a new dimension.

There are innumerable songs and as difficult to sift through as Lata’s and Muhammad Rafi’s.
You have listed some of his best.

I love this song from Saraswatichandar. It’s not for Raj Kapoor so I had always liked it. :-)

Mr Neelakantan: Yes, those are good ones too – I think the one I like the best of that lot is Chal akela. Somehow, Mukesh’s voice sounds substandard (by his previous record) in Suhaani chaandni raatein, and the music is a bit tinny.

pacifist: This is such a coincidence. Shortly after I’d uploaded this post, I was on youtube, and watched Chandan sa badan. :-)
And yes, there is a definite resemblance to Neil Nitin Mukesh in that first photo. The mouth and eyes, I think, a bit…

Fabulous list! Wouldn’t change a single song. I too don’t much care for Raj Kapoor, but love Mukesh. My Dad is a big Mukesh fan so every time I hear a Mukesh song it takes me back to my childhood. There’s a sincerity in Mukesh’s voice that goes straight to one’s heart.

Apart from the songs you’ve listed, the one Mukesh song I never tire of listening to is his own composition from “Anuraag” – kisse yaad rakhoon, kise bhool jaaon.

My problem with Mukesh is slightly different. For decades I had only one Indian movie song cassette — the best of Mukesh. And I listened ot these songs over and over again on the California highways and am thoroughly sick of them. Now on the internet highway my Mukesh knowledge has broadened. The songs you’ve listed are my favorites. I didn’t like Raj Kapoor till I saw the Teesri Kasam song–Sajan re jhoot mat bolo (also a Mukesh). I like the song but I suspect I would lke it if someone else had sung it too. I’d add that to this list. “Kisi ke muskurahaton pe ho nissar” is excellent top ten stuff too. For eye candy (i,e.confluence of visually appealing and good song)–“Baharon ne mera chaman loot kar”. Dharmendra at his 1966 good-looking best.

Pacifist–“Chandan sa badan” was my favorite Indian movie song most of my life. (Then one day I saw it on Youtube and it spoilt everything. I know there are a lot of Nutan fans–I consider myself one now–but I didn’t know who she was a year or two ago when I first saw the song.)

Shalini: I hadn’t heard this song from Anuraag before – thank you for introducing me to it. Very good to listen to! It falls into my ‘voice as music’ category: I think it’s so much easier (generally) to sing when you have the support of an entire orchestra, or at least one musical instrument. But to sing a substantial part of a song with minimal instruments – that requires talent and skill. As in Kise yaad rakhoon or even Aayega aanewaala.

sophy: Someday I should make a list of all the songs I’ve listened to again and again and again, simply because they were part of the cassettes in my car!
Lots of people have recommended Teesri Kasam to me, but I still need to watch it. Maybe with that under my belt, I’ll be able to appreciate Sajan re jhooth mat bolo better. But I agree totally re: the eye candy quotient (or should that be ‘sense candy’?) of Baharon ne mera chaman lootkar. Yum!

P.S. Sophy, I can relate to your comment about Chandan sa badan! There have been plenty of songs that I’ve liked a lot, only because I’ve always listened to them, not seen them – only to have my illusions shattered once I’ve viewed them. I remember liking Woh jab yaad aaye very, very much – until I saw Parasmani a couple of years back and was terribly disappointed to see whom it was picturised on! Somehow I tended to think such a lovely song had to have a Shammi Kapoor-Sadhana or Dharmendra-Sharmila Tagore sort of jodi.

I don’t know how exactly to put my feelings for Mukesh in words….it’s kind of confusing.
Not that I dislike him…he has a wonderful voice and he has sung some of my favourite songs. But I’ve never been a great fan of his either.
1. Majority, at least the most popular songs of his, are usually so sad and full of despair that I try avoiding them.
2. My dad is a big big fan of Mukesh….and he has some of the saddest songs ever in his collection
3. A cousin of mine had once told me that when someone gets hooked on to old songs, it usually begins with Kishore, then gets into Rafi mode and eventually ends up liking Mukesh better. And when I initially started listening to Hindi songs, it was Kishore Kumar’s. Now I’m in Rafi phase but I never want to get over Rafi. :-) Since half of his prediction came true, I guess I am scared of getting into the final phase. I never gave it much thought, but looking back, I have been subconsciously avoiding Mukesh’s songs.
Though I would like to believe that it’s because most of his songs are sad, i’m yet to figure out the real reason behind it.
I agree that just because I like Rafi so much doesn’t mean I shouldn’t like any other singers. And that’s never been the case in fact. I am extremely fond of Talat, Hemat, Manna Dey etc. Anyways, more thoughts on that later.
When I discovered it was Mukesh’s Birth Anniversary today, and started thinking of his songs, I realized that I love quite a lot of them. I really wanted to do a post but was very very busy today. I was kind of feeling guilty about it and was hoping somebody else would so that I could at least list down my favourite songs here in the comment section. But now I have changed my mind…like you quoted And for all those years I failed to recognise your genius : I am also going to dedicate a post to Mukesh Chand Mathur.
We do share a few songs in common…let me see if I can complete the list tomorrow.
I was thinking of doing a post on Manoj Kumar tomorrow, as it’s his birthday. Then, it’s Rahul Bose’s birthday on 27th and my friend has bought The Japanese Wife for me ( ok…that sounds ridiculous…I meant, my friend has bought me the dvd of “The Japanese Wife”) so I have to watch that and review that as well. Not to forget the pending review of Do Kaliyan….phew, so much of work!
I think this is the longest comment I’ve ever posted….but before I end – I really like the songs of Saraswati Chandra – be it Chandan sa badan or Phool tumhe bheja hai . Though I had seen the video on youtube and ocassionally on tv, my love for Nutan prompted me to watch the movie and it was such a torture. Let’s just be happy listening to them (avoid watching them on youtube too).

Very nice to see a Mukesh list here (happy birthday, Mukesh!)… I have no problems with Raj Kapoor; he’s one of my favorites. But Mukesh did some nice singing for other actors too, especially (as you showed) Dilip Kumar. I particularly like Mukesh singing for Dilip Kumar in Mela. (That movie was a bit of a downer even for me! But the Naushad music is great.)

I noticed that Mukesh does some very good duets with a few of my favorite female singers from the late ’40s and early ’50s – in addition to the singing that he did with Lata. I really like his duets with Shamshad Begum in both Mela and Sunehre Din (which I’m watching right now). And he is great singing duets with both Rajkumari and Geeta Roy in Bawre Nain.

Our dislikes are so similar!
Mukesh is also a singer very much neglected by me, partly the reason is, just like in you case, Raj Kapoor.
Love all the songs, which you have listed. but missed: ‘o jaanewale ho sake to laut ke aana’! I just love his voice there. It builds up the atmosphere and gives this deep longing which only Mukesh could give, which is again to be heard, againw ith S. D. at the pult, in ‘Chal ri sajni ab kya soche’.
Luv his songs for Pancham as well for e.g., ‘Kahin karti hogi’ and theother one which I can’t remember except that it was a Rajesh Khanna starrer. But being 70s films they are off limits for you ;-).

@ sunehri: don’t worry dear. i started off as a kishore fan went thro rafi phase, came back to KK and then again to rafi and now I luv both! have turned bigamist ;-) and am regularly unfaithful to them with talat, hemant, manna and mukesh and not necessarily in this order!
and this is a blisfful state!

sunheriyaadein: I guess what sequence you like male singers in (or whatever… you know what I mean) depends on whether or not you grew up listening to old songs. I remember being utterly fascinated by Hemant and Kishore and Rafi to begin with, and later graduating to other voices like Talat, Manna Dey and Mahendra Kapoor too. I guess Mukesh is one of those voices that grow on you. But, as harvey says, I guess I’m a bigamist – no, a polygamist – too! I like a lot of singers very much. :-)
Am looking forward to your Mukesh post!

pacifist: “I’m left wondering if Raj Kapoor would have been better here after all.” My goodness, we are scraping the barrel, aren’t we?! ;-)

Richard: Only the other day, my father was reminiscing about the songs of Mela (and about Kalpana too, incidentally!) and talking about how great they were. Two more films I have to see sometime, even if it’s only for the songs…

harvey: Oh, thank you for reminding me of Kahin karti hogi woh mera intezaar: I love that song, despite memories of an awful remix that was done a few years back. Haven’t seen Phir Kab Milogi, though, so it wouldn’t have been valid for this post. By the way, one Mukesh-Rajesh Khanna song I can think of was Jis gali mein tera ghar na ho baalma from Kati Patang: it was initially part of this list.

Thank you for this nice and interesting post, and all the work you do! I am hard pressed to choose a favorite singer as I like music of all decades, but Mukesh is definitely among them. I heard a song the other day in which he spoke a few words, and his speaking voice seeemed very melodious too.

What I love about his voice is that it’s so very distinct from anyone else’s. I always know when it’s Mukesh singing (I am woefully bad at distinguishing others’ voices) :) This makes me feel a bit more knowledgeable, so bless Mukesh forever for that ;-D

Many of us didn’t much like Mukesh’s voice when we were younger. As we reached our 30s and 40s and understood the ups and downs of life better, interpreters like Mukesh began to appeal greatly. Mukesh had a powerful sincerity in his singing.

His songs from Andaz are fabulous. None of his contemporaries could have sung like that. Listen to this song. Nargis leaning on the piano, Dilip singing and Cuckoo (I think) dancing.

kenjn60: I can imagine Mukesh’s speaking voice must be great – the closest I can recall is hearing his recitations at the start of songs like Yeh mera deewaanapan hai. He also acted in Anuraag (to which Shalini provided that link, above) – I’d like to get hold of that film.

swarint: Yes, even though he’s probably best known for his more poignant songs, Mukesh did sing some really nice, more light-hearted ones. The ones you mention, of course (and harvey also mentioned Kahin karti hogi woh mera intezaar), and the peppy Dekho mausam kya bahaar hai, which I’ve listed at the end of my post. More, too, I’m sure, just waiting to be discovered!

memsaab: I have to confess that I’ve generally found it much easier to identify the voices of the male singers! Mukesh, Manna Dey, Kishore, Rafi, Hemant – all have very distinctive voices. When it comes to women, I can recognise Geeta Dutt, and to some extent Shamshad Begum and Sharda, but that’s about it – I can never say with absolute certainty whether a singer is Lata or Asha or Suman Kalyanpur or even Usha Mangeshkar.

Himmat Singh: Oh, thank you! I have seen Andaz, but didn’t remember the songs, and though I like Khayaalon mein kisi ke a lot, I haven’t seen Baanwre Nain. The Apna Ghar song is lovely, too.

What an awesome post Madhulika :) I have to admit that like you, I too have been erroneous about my judgement about Mukesh. But you list now has made me rethink that Mukesh indeed was a very talented singer. I love that ghazal from Phir Subah Hogi called, Dekhiye Phir Mujhey. Thank you so much for the post :)

I love Oh re taal mile and am so glad to see Yeh kaun chitrakaar hai in your list too. To all the lovely songs mentioned, I’d like to add Dil jalta hai to jalne de – his first filmi song, I think. As a kid, it used to strike me as unintentionally hilarious when he says Ya to surat aake dikha jaawo, ya keh do hum ko yaad na kar – because I’d never heard a lover threaten his beloved like that in a Hindi song.

Much as I love some of his songs, I can’t say I’ve ever appreciated his voice. And it’s not only because of his RK association, either. To me, his singing has always sounded more like kavita-paath than actual singing!

Thanks also for that list. Yes, some are definitely repeated, but there are others (Jo tumko ho pasand, for example) that I like but had forgotten about).

Sharmi: Yes, Dekhiye phir mujhe is also lovely. Phir Subah Hogi had superb music, even though the film itself was a little too depressing for my liking.

bollyviewer: “To me, his singing has always sounded more like kavita-paath than actual singing!” You’ve said it! I was trying to wonder what it is about a lot of Mukesh’s songs that doesn’t really appeal to me, and I think that’s it. I like a lot of his songs very much, but I feel that as a proportion of a singer’s total corpus of work, I like more Talat songs or Rafi songs or Manna Dey songs than Mukesh songs. Yes, it probably has a lot to do with the fact that kavita-paath riles me!

I’m biased towards Mukesh songs with RD as the music director (very few of course). Once when I was struggling to make both ends meet running here and there for a job, I heard ‘Ik din bik jaayega’ in a crowded blue line bus. Could be the effect of lyrics as well, but I felt such life and hope and inspiration in Mukesh’s voice that for next few months, I was rock-solid despite all odds. And I also like ‘Kahin karti hogi woh mera intezaar’ and ‘Jis gali mein tera ghar’…

As far as Shankar-Jaikishan are concerned, they were more brilliant with Rafi I think. And for some reasons, I seldom liked the gloomy sort of songs that Mukesh did. And though I have had Rafi, Manna Dey, and Kishore collections, I never felt like having a Mukesh collection. You want to listen to him one fine day on a radio perhaps- he’s that kind of a singer I think. But he’s been special of course.

Mr Neelakantan: Yes, Jaaoon kahaan bata ae dil is there, in my list too. I like Chaand ko kya maaloom and Chaand si mehbooba too, though the lyrics of the latter always make me laugh (“I never thought I’d have a beloved who was as lovely as the moon; yes, you’re just as I thought you’d be…”: that seems to suggest that since he didn’t think she’d be lovely as the moon, he was right, and she isn’t as lovely as the moon!)

Hero Heera Lal: That’s a touching little anecdote. The only one I can recall of anybody travelling in a Blue Line (or any other DTC bus, for that matter) and emerging more heartened as a result of it!
Me too, somehow I’ve never felt like having a Mukesh collection. Of course, having paid a little more attention to his songs, I can see there are several that are not depressing or gloomy in any way, but though I may admire Mukesh, I probably won’t build up a sizeable collection of his songs.

Phir na kije meri gustakh… from Phir Subhah Hogi. My connoiseur friends think this is one of the finest hindi film duets. Mukesh-Asha.

An interesting Rafi-Mukesh duest from the same film.

Mukesh is seriously underrated. Perhaps because he did not carry a tune as smoothly as his contemporaries, never over-emoted, and had a pronounced nasal twang in his higher notes. But, perhaps that’s why his renderings are so ‘there’. There is so much authenticity in his singing. So much conviction.

excellent list, what a job it must have been to wittle them down to ten. Muskesh stole my heart ever since i watched Sangam, bol radha bol is one of the few hindi songs i can sing the chorus almost perfectly and i love your choice of Suhana safar and the ones from Anand too. Another Mukesh favourite for sentimantal reasons and the fact that it was so embedded into bollywood loving Nigerians is his DUNIYA EK NUMBRI from Dus Numbri

bollywooddeewana: I had no idea Duniya ek numbri was such a hit in Nigeria (in fact, this is the first time I actually saw the song, though I’ve heard it often enough before). I think it’s rather sweet how a lot of the less developed and undeveloped countries of the world seem to be so fond of Bollywood… a couple of years back, I was in Chicago on work, and invariably, whenever I took a taxi, the driver turned out to be from Turkmenistan or Somalia or some such country – and began chattering about Bollywood as soon as they discovered I was Indian! Makes you feel like you have friends even among strangers. :-)

ash: Yes, Woh tere pyaar ka gham is one of my favourites. As I mentioned in my post, if I’d seen the film, I’d probably have listed it here! I did manage to buy the VCD long back, but it packed up irrevocably midway and the shop didn’t have a replacement. :-(
Of the others you’ve listed, another one I really like is Diwanon se mat poochho.

Wonder if Dada sang a song in any of his movies, in his voice or as a playback ??

A trivia which I must share, IT IS VERY VERY SPECIAL, have yu ever seen our good friend Iftekhar another great, doing twist and cha cha cha, rock n roll, well I did, first time ever, in the suberb Goldie NIGHT CLUB 1958.

I was impressed, I do not see any songs on YT ?, must git movin n rip and post and share, awesome MD Maestro Madan Mohan.

Iftekhar bhai had done over 250, mayb 300 films and kinda sad he is not even mentioned in our g8 media in India. Name one who has so many credits in the present era ?? Wil they ever reach that milestone, I doubt it.

That is a sordid state of affairs as far as such g8 artists are concerned, same league as DADA.

I think pacifist suggested the chand-chandi songs because Mukesh seems to have sung so many of them (including, as you mention, Chandan sa badan and Chaand si mehbooba). :-)

My most vivid memory of Nightclub is of that song, with Iftekhar dancing in it. Incidentally, another of my very favourite songs has Iftekhar being sung to – O babu o lala from Dilli ka Thug has Smriti Biswas dancing and singing, and mainly focussing her attention on a very dashing Iftekhar. (BTW, you might like to check out a very young looking Iftekhar in the screen cap for Jaagte Raho, too – my latest post).

Hey Ash, I searched for Dr Shaitan in http://www.songs.pk, but no results. But managed to find Tum mile woh din dhale on youtube, and loved it! Thank you so much for that. Such a very nice, peppy number… it reminded me of a Western song, though I can’t pinpoint which one right now. It’s on the tip of my tongue.

Dusted off – I’ve been reading your blog along with memsaab’s for a year now. Really enjoy them!

Mukesh’s voice takes sometime to get used to because it’s so different and the more you listen the more melodious it becomes. I remember being thoroughly thoroughly moved by the haunting “O janewale ho sake toh laut ke ana” from Bandini. And “Sajanwa bairi ho gaye hamar”. Though he could sing a range of songs, sad songs seem to be his forte. And “Kahin door jab din dhal jaye” is simply divine. Thanks for all your posts and for this blogsite!

We have something in common ie dislike of Raj Kapoor – period. I have enjoyed listening to Mukesh songs over the years esp when i was in school and uni in India – have lost touch after moving overseas. Must confess that ,unlike other male singers, one can only listen to mukesh in bits and pieces – I mean one can’t listen to his songs continuously atleast the sad ones! He did sing a lot of other good songs identified by readers here. Another famous one of his is “waqt karta jo wafa, aap hamare hotey” i have seen the song on DVD – a morose Shashi Kapoor lamenting his loss of Rajshri (hmm who is supposed to be in love with Sanjay Khan I presume from the song)

Thank you for reminding me of Barkha rani zara jamke barso! After my time, but a lovely song, nevertheless. And you’re right – it does star Shatrughan Sinha.

I’d never seen (only heard) Waqt karta jo wafa before, but oh, what a depressing song. The lyrics are depressing, Shashi Kapoor looks very depressed, and Mukesh sings it with sorrow brimming from every syllable. No wonder it’s so difficult to listen to much Mukesh, wonderful voice etc though one must concede… I, at least, can handle songs like this only in small doses.

Such a lovely post DO and what wonderful comments and suggestions. I do so LOVE Mukesh! There’s that something in his voice that has me hooked, a gentle melancholy and someone said it really well above, ‘a powerful sincerity’. For instance, there’s this Salil Chowdhury number from ‘Annadata’ that hasn’t left me for a couple of days ‘ Nain Hamare’.

And talking of duets, here’s another which I love with him and Lata from ‘Raja Rani’ of which RD was the MD. And it starts off by talking of chandni!

Thanks so much. I’ll be coming back to this post often to look up and listen to more Mukesh :-)

Suhan, thank you for those songs – both tunes that I didn’t remember having heard before! (And the Raja Rani duet also introduced me to yet another Rajesh Khanna-Sharmila Tagore film; that was a pleasant surprise indeed). :-)

pacifist: How could I have forgotten Aa tu aa?! I guess my mind blanked out the film, because Phoolon ki Sej isn’t one of my favourite films. But wonderful song: thank you for reminding me about it! I hadn’t heard the song from Banarsi Thug before, but liked it too.

Yer spot on and we are in the same boat, Haan Deewana sure has the powerful words to get goosy goosy pimples .), so turn the mood to opp direction and listen to dheere re chalo……..did it bring in some teens memories back ?

I must share another one which I rediscovered: Ek raat mein do-do chaand khile, from Barkha. Hadn’t heard this for a long, long time. It’s beautiful, and I think Mukesh sounds a little different from his usual self…

Oh yeah nostalgia re booted DO with Barkha, Thx. Jagdeep as the hero and Nanda played his sis, right ? Saw this many moons ago and do yu know it was Co Directed by Rajendra Krishan Saheb, who also wrote the lyrics. He has written so many songs, a chip of da ol block… and whilst yu mentioned BARKHA, another song came to light-

Goodness, I hadn’t noticed the chaand in that song, even though it was staring me in the face! Heh. Mukesh should’ve sung Chaudhvin ka chaand ho, huh? But somehow the way Rafi sang that one, one can’t help but associate only him with it…

And yes, I’m with you on that: I am swiftly having to revise my opinion on how I feel about Mukesh. There are more and more songs that I’m being reminded of, which were sung by Mukesh. Perhaps they aren’t in the mind-boggling numbers that I can associate with Rafi or maybe Kishore, but certainly as many as Hemant or Manna Dey.

Wah, ash! I am very impressed. I hadn’t thought I could forget a song like Dil ki nazar se, nazron ki dil se: such a beautiful song. Come to think of it, Anari has one of those unforgettable scores – unforgettable by all except people with sieve-like memories, like me! :-))

*** It is official ***
Ok, not quite but I think I am almost there now. :-)
Until now, all the lists that Madhu has made (the ones I have read) could have been made by me – we seem to have such similar tastes. :-)

This was going to be the acid test. And it has worked!

I am now officially the ONLY person in this world (and maybe in other worlds too) who does not like “Suhana safar aur ye mausam haseen”.

I don’t know why. Maybe it is because everybody else loves it!
Anyway, I find nothing special about it. I’d rather listen to the Mukesh-Lata duet “dil tadap tadap” from the same movie.

I have gone through great pains to go through all the comments here to ensure that I do not repeat suggestions (I may still be repeating so excuse me) but how come nobody has mentioned one of the greatest (well, easily one of my favourites at least!).
Mujhe raat din ye khayaal hai -Oomar Qaid (1961). The picturisation on Sudhir and Nazima is just brilliant.

Then there is that lovely “Darpan ko dekha tune jab jab kiya singaar” from Upaasna.

I can think of plenty of other Mukesh songs – and many have already been mentioned here. Like zubaan pe dard (Maryada), jo tumko ho pasand (Safar) and so many others. I think I am a sucker for lyrics and maybe that also makes a difference, e.g. baharon ne mera chaman loot kar has got fantastic lyrics.

I think I know lots and lots and lots of Mukesh songs mainly because when I was a young boy I had a book with hundreds of songs gifted to me by somebody. That is where I first heard of “zinda hoon is tarah” (am happy to see this in your list).

His duets in Malhaar are also very sweet, btw.

Btw, am happy to see the other 9 songs on your list. I love them all. “Ye kaun chitrakaar” is great, as is “jaaoon kahan bata aye dil”. 9/10. Not a bad score. ;-) Just kidding! :-)

Thank you for those suggestions – most of them hadn’t been mentioned earlier by anybody in the comments, and some, offhand, I couldn’t even recall. I must admit, I didn’t even recall Mujhe raat din yeh khayaal hai until I found it on youtube and played it. Then, of course, a slap to the forehead because I should’ve remembered that! Lovely song. So is, very especially, Bahaaron ne mera chaman lootkar, which I agree has great lyrics.

Hmmm… someday I should do a post on one of the lyricists. Sahir, perhaps? With all those amazing, gut-wrenching, soul-searing songs from Pyaasa, Sadhna, Chitralekha etc.

Yes, Sahir please!!! My favourite lyricist, though I like Neeraj also a lot. I believe Neeraj lives in Meerut now and is in ill-health.
But Sahir would be great – let’s see if we get a 10/10 there. :-)

Somehow it is not just that I seem to agree with your selection. But it is also the comments you come up with. They would pretty much be the ones I would have come up with. Like that “Chandi aayee ghar jalaane” comment. :-)
Btw, that line in the context of the movie is just brilliant! It is a reference to Rehman’s wife in the movie who has caused discord in the once-loving household of Balraj Sahni-Nanda-Rehman. Rehman is torn between his wife and his brother/sister and does not know what to do.
Hence “jaaoon kahan bataa aye dil, duniya badi hai sangdil..chandni aayee ghar jalaane, soojhe na koi manzil”.
I think a lot of these songs become even more beautiful if they are seen in the context of the story.

Like that “baharon ne mara chaman” song. I just love it, love it, love it. The lyrics are great, not just in themselves but also in the context of the story of the movie. “Mujhe kya pata tha kabhi ishq mein raqeebon ko khaatib banaate nahin…khataa ho gayee mujhse khaatib mere, tere haath paighaam kyon de diya”. Lovely!

Yes, Chhoti Bahen was quite an angst-ridden film for Rehman’s character, wasn’t it? That “jaaoon kahaan bata ae dil” was very aptly worded. Oh, and thank you for that line from Bahaaron ne mera chaman lootkar”. Fabulous! I got gooseflesh just reading it!

I must explore Neeraj’s works in greater depth, but Sahir definitely merits a list. Will do!

Now if only somebody would make a playlist of all these songs, that I could simply click once and listen to in the background while doing my work…! ;-) Some very lovely songs, there. Of course, some Raj Kapoor ones that I do not like (Chhalia mera naam for instance; there’s something about that song that really puts me off), but a lot that I do like, such as Gaaye jaa geet milan ke.

Oh I must plug this other Mukesh number I love because it is so atypical of him–a peppy ‘bhang song’! And I may have mentioned it elsewhere in your blog Madhu, perhaps in the ‘daaru’ songs post? It’s from ‘Bandhan’ (1969) and picturized on Rajesh Khanna :-)

Ah :-)). I have heard that song plenty of times before, and like it a lot!! Wish I’d remembered it… maybe someday, in a ‘Mukesh in Ten Moods’ post. This is definitely Mukesh in a very different mood from his usual!

Thank you! Both for the appreciation, and for those suggestions. Lovely songs, both of them. If it hadn’t been for my self-imposed rule of listing only songs from films I’ve seen, I’m pretty sure I’d have listed these – especially Bhuli huyi yaadon. So beautifully controlled, and perfectly sung. So is <i<Aa ab laut chalein, but I think Bhuli huyi yaadon is just that notch above. Superb.

Hmmm. That might be a little difficult – but I can offhand think of some songs which are fairly distinctive (as far as region is concerned) in music and/or lyrics. For instance, Naya Daur has a few songs with a lovely folksy feel to them (Udein jab-jab zulfein teri or Yeh desh hai veer jawaanon ka), and Ki main jooth boliya from Jaagte Raho is very Punjabi. Then, Ganga aaye kahaan se sounds very Bengali – perhaps that is the effect of Hemant’s voice, but even the music (again, a Bengali’s – Salil Choudhary) is also very Bangla.

Oh, and an unusual one: from Hum Hindustani, Chori-chori tori aayi hai Radha, which has a lovely Manipuri feel to it, even in the music. The flute is beautiful.

Also,Naushad was it again at “Zara man ki khiwadiya khol” in Kohinoor.
I think a tune from Pakeezah too had UP folk. “Chalat musafir” I think is Bihari folk.”Dil me jo baatein” from Joshila(though 1971)had lovely Pahaadi, Assamese folk. Watch the kancha in action. (the instrument used at the very beginning) used to telling effect throughout the song.Ravi had “dil Karta o yaara dildaara”,unmistakably Punjabi,

The crowning glory however is this, my favourite actress, whom I adore, a great combination o beauty and talent!! How she has carried herself.Wow!!

That’s an interesting article, Karthik. Thanks! Incidentally, in one interview, Naushad mentioned that he was very keen to compose for Rattan (which proved to be his first hit score) mainly because it would give him the opportunity to use folk tunes from UP.

well the article on the use of folk music in hindi films that karthik gave a link to was quite good and quite bad at the same time.I mean the article gave quite good info about the folk songs but committed some horrendous mistakes regarding the origins of few of the songs listed there.

Oops! It’s been a while since I read that (I read it when Karthik first posted the link) and don’t have the time to re-read it now, but I do think anybody who’s writing something that’s being published – in a newspaper, too, not a personal blog or whatever – has a basic responsibility of ensuring they get their facts right.

Mukesh Sahab is the crownless King of musucal world. all the songs right from (Nirdosh 1941 till Kabhi Kabhi 1976) are peerless. he has never rendered any meaningless songs yet. though he has sung a limited numbers of songs comaring to Kishore and Rafi, but quality is not judged by quantity. He was the best and will remain the best. Long live his music and his name.

Wow…..looking at the thoughts expressed here, I am really awestruck by the passion and deep knowledge of everyone. Some of the songs being talked about are really ‘old’ or rarely heard Mukesh songs. I am also very impressed by dustedoff’s profile and prolific writing.

I am a humble music fan making his first tentative foray into music blogs. I have listed some gems of Mukesh, composed by Kalyanji Anandji at http://rsbaab.wordpress.com (See the first post). You can also listen to some of those songs on a player in the post.

I also have songs by Naushad and Madan Mohan as well as Ilayaraja listed there. You can listen to some songs on an 8tracks player in each of the blog posts.

Yes, Gardish mein ho taare is a nice song too. Coincidentally (as in Nakli Nawab), in this film too multiple people sang for Manoj Kumar. – my favourite song from the film being Zulfon ki ghata lekar saawan ki pari aayi, where Talat sings playback for him.

I left India in 1970 and am mostly ignorant of all that transpired after that.
I was hooked on Mukesh after Suhana Safar and I would consider not going to a movie if it did not have a Mukesh song. I like RK and Kalyanji-Anandji’s movies for I was sure they would have something by him. One of S-J’s finest compositions was for Hariyali Aur Raaste (Manoj Kumar, several Mukesh songs) and I urge you to listen to them (Ibteda Ishq Mein duet
Adding to the list: Bhooli Hui Yaadon (Sanjog, Madan Mohan), Wafa jinse ki ( Ravi),
and the outstanding songs in Saathi :mera pyaar bhi thu hi (with Suman K), Husne-e-Jaana idhar a..and 2 songs that did not make it into the film but available on you tube: Jo chala gaya use bhool ja, Aankhen Khuli thi. Naushad was force by Rajendra Kumar to use Mukesh. Naushad said not even one Rafi song? Rajendra Kumar was said to have replied “No”. And, let us not forget the superb Kalyanji-Anandji composition “Mein tho ek Khwab hoon” in Himalay ki Godh mein. By now all should know of a famous Ustad who “after repeated attempts, could not sing the lines of the song “Chandan sa Badan” straight and infuse it with Mukesh’s simplicity” when challenged to by Kalyanji when the Ustad passed some snide comment about Mukesh’s singing
What makes Mukesh’s song great were the lyrics: always on point and telling a story, past or future, or a philosophy. Rafi and Kishore sang songs that had were frisky and usually void of deep meaning (underline usually, not saying never) And for lovers of Mukesh I give you one last great composition (1980/81–movie Sanjh ki Bela never released?)– a soulful composition by Ravi for a Joy M/Nutan/Rehman film “Meri duniya ko bahaaron se sajaya” .
Mukesh was bass-baritone while Rafi was a true baritone and songs w low notes were better rendered by Mukesh and hence the preponderance of sad songs sung by him.